Synopsis

Jess has decided it’s time to get out of her comfort zone and live a little. So when her best friend Bryony, a journalist on a gossip magazine, is sent to cover the Cannes Film Festival, Jess decides to seize the day and go along for the ride. Two weeks of sun, glamour and exclusive entry into celeb-filled parties is just the kind of adventure Jess needs.

Reality soon bites though when Jess and Bryony find they’re staying in a dingy hotel far away from all the action and Bryony’s expenses budget barely covers a glass of local wine. Undeterred, the two women are determined to live like the elite and enjoy one fancy night out to begin their holiday. So what if they have to tell a few white lies along the way? It’s just this once. No harm done . . . right?

Review

I have read Lisa’s previous novels and loved them all, you can guarantee she will put you in the mood for jetting off on a summer holiday when you read her Summer releases or cosy up by the fire for the Christmas novels, so there was no doubt in my mind that this one was going to be just perfection.

The cover is beautiful, the title is clever, and most importantly it has Lisa’s trademark humour. Add to this a bucketful of outrageous antics that are over the top, but if you can’t be over the top when you’re on holiday and in somewhere like Cannes, then when can you? If you have more money than you can possibly spend, your lifestyle is probably going to be pretty outrageous, so it was fun seeing Bryon and Jess, especially Jess,, living the life, even if you knew they were going to return from the holiday with a killer credit card bill.

Their antics were maybe spawned by their whole lies about being wealthy but lead to karaoke, staying in expensive hotel rooms for free and parties aboard super yachts to name a few. They were great fun to read, and naturally led to some funny scenes, for example when Jess is shopping for some glasses, but to some extent, it almost made Jess come more out of her shell, and also learn to take life as it comes and try to experience as much as she can, which is something I admire.

I really liked Jess, she was completely relatable. A bit of a closed book at the start about what pushed her to go on this holiday, but when she is more relaxed, her bubbliness shines through. Again, just like all of Lisa’s other leads, I would love to be her best friend, she was great fun to read.

Bryony had constant suspicion that there was bound to be a story deeper than the celebrity gossip that she hates but was sent to Cannes to cover. She was desperation to get into more serious journalism so I get she needed a story. She was such a great friend to Jess, and seeing them and their antics together was smile-inducing.

Leo was handsome and pretty much loved him from the get go, but some way through the book, I took a leaf from Bryony’s book and began to have my suspicions something was up, not quite to the dramatics that Bryony imagined, but something was up. Loved his character though, and also liked his friend as well.

This book is clearly another stunning summer novel from Lisa. It’s funny, outrageous in the best possible way with some heart to go with it.

Published by: Sphere
Gratefully received from the Publisher for review

Thank you to Amy for inviting me as part of the blog tour, please check out the book once you’ve read my review!

Synopsis

Newlyweds Barry and Becky are just back from their tropical honeymoon. The tans are gorgeous, and it was five star luxury all the way. But there’s a problem. Barry’s desperate for a baby, and Becky’s not quite so keen.

Surrounded by pregnant friends and a mother who’s talking about the ticking of invisible biological clocks, Becky starts to feel the pressure. When a surprise pregnancy rocks the boat, Becky’s friends and family are rooting for her all the way. Will she navigate the choppy waters to motherhood? Will she survive antenatal classes? Can she avoid stretchmarks, indigestion and her dreaded boss? And most importantly of all… does her bump look big in this?

Review

Last year I read and reviewed Amy’s debut novel ‘Bride Without A Groom’ which was over dramatic, in the funniest possible way. This book follows suit, as long as you don’t take it too serious, this book can be a lot of fun.

Rebecca and Barry are just returning back from their luxury 5 star honeymoon in Mexico, where Rebecca is not happy about returning to the banality of every-day life. Naturally she reverts back to her usual self-absorbed self, which makes me feel sorry for anyone that knows her. I think she is even more ridiculous in this book. I wouldn’t make some of her choices, it’s nothing criminal, more immature and at times very irresponsible. She is an exaggeration of everything you might find annoying with someone. Once I realised this (in both books) I had a lot of fun reading her ridiculous antics and selfish acts.

Again I felt really sorry for Barry, regardless of what he did in the previous book, he clearly cares for Rebecca and strives to please her. People have said that I have Simon twisted round my little finger, but that is nothing to how Barry is, I’m surprised his hair isn’t falling out (or maybe it has?!). You can see he would make a great father, and really dotes on the idea of having a child, and it’s charming to see.

This book is silly in the best possible way, something to laugh at, and almost certainly a light hearted look at what not to do when having a baby. I seriously hope motherhood tames Rebecca, but something tells me that it won’t!

Thank you to Sphere for inviting me to be part of this blog tour, I was so excited to take part and get into the Christmas spirit!

Synopsis

Olivia has never experienced a snow-covered, ‘traditional’ Christmas before. Having grown up in a family that chose winter sun over decking the halls, she’s not sure what all the fuss is about. So when she and her colleagues are stranded in New York after a work trip, Olivia is perfectly happy spending the holiday season in the Big Apple.

Jon, Olivia’s friend, on the other hand is desperate to get home in time for his big family get-together. Nevertheless, determined to make the best out of the situation, he sets out to show Olivia how enchanting Christmas in New York can be. And when handsome New Yorker Elijah is added to the mix, could the magic of the season finally be working its charm on Olivia? As 25 December draws closer, Olivia suddenly finds herself with a decision to make: who does she really want to kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas?

Review

A Christmas novel set in my favourite place in the world automatically piques my interest, when it’s written by the same author as ‘You had me at Merlot’, one of my favourite books this year, then the level of excitement and expectation for this book goes to crazy levels. So no pressure to the author then! It lived up to everything I was hoping for with tons of laughs to join the warm feeling you get when reading this book.

New York is one of those cities that is pitched as a perfect place for Christmas, and this book’s description of New York, the landmarks and the snow add even more to the Christmas spirit.
Despite the oodles of Christmas spirit, this doesn’t come from our lead character like it normally does from Christmas novels, at least the ones I’ve read.

Olivia is witty and has the usual humour I’ve come to expect from Lisa. Add that to Olivia’s kindness, determination and general sense of fun, you do want her to be your best friend, and I am pretty sure I said something similar about Elle from ‘You had me at Merlot’. While she is worried and concerned on the inside, she is calm and composed on the outside as she deals with what would engage panic mode in me. Her only flaw (if you can call her that) is her inability to get in the Christmas spirit. Of course there is nothing wrong with that, her family aren’t very Christmassy, but this made the book even more magical in one way as she got to discover all the landmarks and things you associate with New York and Christmas, and I got to experience them from someone that was pretty much discovering Christmas for the first time.

Our other lead, Jon is so much fun. Even though Jon and Olivia don’t necessarily see each other as much as they would like, you can tell they are still close and have that great chemistry where they can just slot back into where they left off.

The supporting cast of characters are all fantastic in there roles, whether it’s the infuriating collage Jasmine, the anxious and young Abi or the couple that are “secretly” dating like Dee and Ian. It’s almost guaranteed you know someone that are like these people and this makes this book all the more fun to read.

This book is funny and left me with a warm cosy feeling inside where it lifted my spirits, especially when it came to Christmas and all the festivities that surround it. It is definitely one to put on your Christmas list, that’s if you can resist purchasing it before then.

Thank you again to the publisher for inviting me take part in this wonderful book’s tour, and check out the other blog posts shown below (click to see bigger version)!

Synopsis

Isobel Graves moved to LA determined to be the Next Big Thing. Instead, she is dressed as a giant prawn handing out fliers promoting a fish market. Rather than attending glamorous parties and dating exciting men, her evenings consist of watching box sets with her sort-of boyfriend, whose idea of romance is a late-night drunken text.

Where did it all go wrong?

When Isobel catches sight of Andrew Parker, her childhood sweetheart, in the background of a TV news story she feels it’s a sign. If she’d stuck with Andrew everything would have turned out better. Now she just needs to find him…

Review

I really enjoyed Rosie’s last book ‘How to Stuff Up Christmas’ and this one sounded even better, and I wasn’t wrong! The prologue starts in precisely the manner the book continues in, full of light hearted fun. It start at Isobel and Andrew’s wedding quite seriously, then there is a slight twist on the proceedings I certainly wasn’t expecting, and it was quite an original take on things. It made me laugh out loud for a good while, though I’m not sure Isobel would take quite the same outlook!

The hapless antics of Isobel and her quest to find Andrew was a great mixture of absolute fun and laughs. As you get to know Isobel and the cast of characters, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Even more so when the book arrives in Tioman Island, Malaysia also known as paradise! I swear authors only set books in these lovely places so they can go on exotic holidays, all in the name of research. Not that I blame them!

Isobel hasn’t completed her goals after moving to L.A. and it is stuck in her mind that if she had stuck with Andrew, her life would be better. Hence her adventure to find him to find out once and for all. This is hugely admirable, but equally a bit of a mad idea.

Despite the plan being a bit stalker-like,you can’t help but fall in love with Isobel’s character. She is incredibly funny, especially her inner monologue. At one point she is questioned how she knows Andrew, and debates with herself how she was tempted to say ‘I’m his wife’ . When explained it doesn’t seem so funny, but in full context it really made me laugh. It’s moments like that which kept me smiling throughout.

Isobel’s best friend Mel is really funny too, especially when she is giving all the juicy details of her sex life to Isobel, who is far from keen on hearing it. Mel and Isobel’s chemistry together is great, even though through much of the book they are thousands of miles apart.

Andrew was a surprise in one way. Isobel built so much hype round him, I was expecting to be won over at some point in the book, but it shows Isobel hasn’t seen him in a long time, because when we do meet him, he doesn’t seem as fun-loving like Isobel and just didn’t seem into 90% of the conversations they had. I did like his friend Duncan though, he seemed a great laugh.
Zeb in complete contrast to Andrew really stood out. I loved his personality, and the way he teased Isobel, even if she didn’t always appreciate it.

This book was absolutely fantastic. Fun and light hearted, simply perfect for a summer read, or on holiday when escaping Britain’s cooler weather.